The Mavericks have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year contract with sixth man Jerry Stackhouse, two sources said Thursday afternoon.

While details remain to be finalized, the two sides have agreed on a deal that will make Stackhouse's salary for next season more than the mid-level exception, which is expected to be around $6 million. If the deal starts at $6.5 million, it would be worth more than $21 million for three seasons.

It was not immediately known if any option years, either for the team or for Stackhouse, were included in the deal.

Stackhouse has evolved into one of the NBA's best sixth men in his three seasons with the Mavericks and, at 32, he had said recently that he was confident that he and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, could reach an agreement with the Mavs. Stackhouse said he had no desire to relocate. Schwartz was not available for comment.

Assuming no snags are hit with details of the deal, Stackhouse can sign on Wednesday, the first day that free agents can make agreements official.

The Mavericks have said since the end of the season that retaining Stackhouse was their No. 1 priority in free agency. He provides toughness, scoring (13.3 points per game in three seasons) and a positive vibe in the locker room.

With Stackhouse locked up, the Mavericks can turn their attention to other free-agent interests. They are taking a patient attack in dealing with the players who are believed to be their top targets: Charlotte's Gerald Wallace, Chicago's P.J. Brown, Miami's James Posey, Golden State's Matt Barnes and Philadelphia's Joe Smith.

The Mavericks believe they will get the chance to acquire one or more of those players at a bargain price in the coming weeks.

I'm probably in the minority but I'm glad he's signed. Though I do hope at least the 3rd year is an option. At the workouts in Orlando there was interest in Stack but they were told the Mavs were intent on signing him. The most someone could've offered him is the MLE, and even then I'm not sure how many takers there would have been at that price. So maybe it is a little much, but maybe it's just Cuban rewarding some loyalty.

Only qualms I have with this is he's injury prone. Track record says that he always misses chunks out of a season and I don't agree with giving big bucks to key contributors based on those facts. The upside is that Stack's tough, mentally and physically, and while not as athletically as his younger days he knows how to put himself in position to score and can still finish. I'm glad that the Mavs got this integral piece returning. Welcome back Stack.

Stack is great for the team, but the contract just seems kind of hefty to me. The guy has been getting injured consistently now every season and he's already 34 turning 35, so who knows how much he'll be producing for the next 3 years? I'm not sure that any other teams would've offered him quite so much.